Manufacture of asphalt



HA R. WARDE MANUFACTURE OF A APPLICATION FILED AUG.

Patented J uly 26, 1921.

UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY R. WARDELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CENTRAL COMMERCIAL COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE OF ASPHALT.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY R. WARDELL, a'citizen of the United States, and resident of NewYork city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Asphalt, of which the following is a specication, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

, The invention relates to the manufacture of asphalts from petroleum residuum, and to the resulting products; the object of the invention being to improve such manufacture and products, having particularreference to asphalts for roofing and paving purposes of the nature of those heretoforeobtained by the mixing of a mineral bitumen known as grahamite with residuum from Mexican petroleum.

It is well known that petroleum residuum may be oxidized by treatment with air, in

` accordance with the method disclosed in the now ex ired patent to Culmer, No. 635,429, dated (gctober 24, 1899, and that asphaltic fluxes or so-called blown oil asphalts are thereby produced. But these asphaltlc fluxes, Whether produced by the said treatment of residuum from mid-continent mixed base etroleum residuum, or of residuum from exican or California asphaltie base petroleum, are not satisfactory for roofing" and paving purposes except when. compounded with natural asphalts, such as Trinidad asphalt, gilsonite, elaterite, and the like. While residuum from mid-continent crude petroleum may be so oxidized as to produce an asphaltic flux having the hlgh meltin point required inasphalts for roofing an l,paving purposes, th1s product lacks ductility and strength. On the other hand, residuum from Mexican or California petroleum, 'being originally low in its pet- Y rolene content, is not capable of oxidation nace; and

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 26, 1921. Application led August 30, 1919. Serial No. 320,906. v

' the other when the two have been separately prepared does not produce a satisfactory product.

As oxidation of petroleum residuum b the said air treatment is understood to resu t first compounding a mixed base residuum,

such as that obtained from mid-continent petroleum, with asphaltic base residuum ob` tained from Mexican or California petroleum and then oxidizing the said mixed residuums with air, an asphalt is produced which is markedly different from the blown asphalts obtained by the separate treatment of either of the said residuums as well as from any compound of the said blown oil asphalts, and is useful for roofing and paving without the addition thereto of natural asyihalts.

he present invention accordingly contemplates the improved method of manufacturing asphalt, Which consists in first compounding mixed base petroleum residuum and asphaltic base petroleum residuum with each other and then blowing the reSulti compound and the new asphalt so produce Apparatus to be used in practising the said improved method may take the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a retort equipped with the re uired air'finduction Fig. 2 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but drawn to a larger scale.

The retort 10 is illustrated as bein of cylindrical form, horizontally arrang in the furnace setting, generally designated 11. It is equipped with normally covered manholes 12, 13, for the introduction of the charge, a draw-olf pipe 14 controlled by valve 15, and vent pipe 16. The furnace PiPeS'and the associate fur-Y Y setting 11 is constructed to provide la tirebox 17, to which a portion of the under side of the retort 11 adjacent one end of the same is directly exposed, and ues 18, 19, leading rearwardly under the retort to its opposite end and then forwardly along the opf posite sides of theJ retort and downwardly to a smoke tunnel 20. An airl blast pipe 21 extends longitudinally over the retort at one side of the same for connection with each of a series of branches 22, which enter the retort 10 at short intervals throughout its length and reach nearly to the'bottom of the same.

As an example of the practice of the improved method embodying the present invention a mixture of Mexican residuum of 8 to 10 B., and Illinois residuum of 12 to 14 B., comprising 60% by weight of the former and 40%'by weight of the latter, may be placed in the retort 10 and brought to a temperature of 450 F. While approximately thisy temperature is maintained, air is introduced through the blast pipe 21 and branches 22-at the rate of ten unit volumes of air per minute for each unit volume of the mixed residuums contained in the retort until the charge is of such con-v sistency that it will solidify when allowed to cool. The product has physical properties resembling the compound produced by cutting grahamite obtained at Sardis, near Tuskahoma, Pushmataha county, Oklahoma, with Mexican flux oil, and may be used for roofing or paving without being compounded with other asphalts.

Although some variation in temperature `during the treatment can scarcely be avoided, it has been found that if the treatment be continued for a period of seventy-two hours without variation. of the temperature beyond the limits of 450 F. and 500 F., the said product will be characterized by showing a penetration of twenty points with the Howard and Morse penetrometer at 77 F. and ten points at 32 F., a ductility of 8 to 10 centimeters with the Dow mold, and a melting point of 275 F. by the ring and ball method. On the other hand, a, similar treatment of Illinois residuum of 12 to 14 B. for a like period produces an asphalt showing a penetration of twenty points at 77 F., and fifteen points at 32 F., a. melting int of 290 F. and no appreciable ductility; while a similar treatment of Mexican residuum for a like period produces an asphalt showing a penetration of twenty ints at 77 F., no appreciable enetration at 32 F., ductility of ten to f1 meters, and a melting point of 160 F.

It will thus be seen that while the improved product obtained by the practice of the invention in the manner herein selected' as an example has nearly the same melting point as the asphalt obtained by blowing een centi-` Illinois residuum, and also shows ne/arly the same penetration as the latter at both summer and winter temperatures, its ductility compares favorably with that obtained by blowing Mexican residuum.

rIhe mixture of pure asphaltic base petroleum residuum and mixed base petroleum residuum comprising the charge may be substantially varied from the proportions given, 25% of the mid-continent residuum and 7 5% of the Mexican 1product being 'useful for some urposes. tpmay be stated as a rule that t e melting point of the asphalt produced varies with the relative amount of the mixed base residuum contained in the charge. That is to say, addition of a larger amount of the mixed base residuum produces more of the petrolenes capable of conversion by oxidation into high melting point asphaltenes. Likewise the temperature of treatment and the rate of blowing may both be varied from the figures given, increase in temperature and rate of blowing both tending to reduce the time of treatment necessary for solidification of the material.

While the improved product is preferably produced without the addition of natural asphalt, itV will be understood that natural asphalt may be used in the charge if desired, in which case the product` will be superior to that produced by blowing either a mixture of mixed base petroleum residuum and natural asphalt, or a mixture of asphaltic base petroleum residuum and-natural asphalt.

I claim as my invention- 1. The method of manufacturing asphalt which consists in compounding a mixed base petroleum residuum and an asphaltic base petroleum residuum, and then maintaining the said mixed "residuums at a temperature above that required for complete expulsion of water 'vapor but below that of destructive distillation while simultaneously blasting the charge with air until an asphalt which is solid at ordinary temperatures is obtained.

2. The method of manufacturing asphalt which consists in compounding an asphaltic base petroleum residuum and a petroleum residuum containing petrolene in substantial quantity, and then maintaining the said mixed residuums at` a temperature above that required for complete i expulsion of water vapor but below that of destructive distillation while simultaneously blasting the charge with air until an asphalt which is neously blasting the charge with air vuntil an asphalt which is solid at ordinary temperatures is obtained.

4. The method of manufacturing asphalt which consists in compounding an asphaltic base petroleum residuum of about 8 to 10 B. gravity and a mixed base petroleum residuum of about 12 to 140 B. gravity in the proportions of about 60 per cent. of the asphaltic base residuum and 40 per cent. of the mixed base petrole-um residuum and then maintaining the said mixed residuums at a temperature of about 450 F. While simultaneously blasting the charge with air until an asphalt which is solid at ordinary tem-x peratures isobtained.

5. The asphalt produced by blasting with air a mixture of asphaltie base petroleum residuum and ay petroleumesiduum conta-ining petrolene in substantial quantity at a temperature above that required for complete expulsion of water vapor, but below that of destructive distillation until a product which is solid at ordinary temperatures is obtained.

HENRY R. WARDELL. 

